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Shamong Township, New Jersey
Township
Township of Shamong
Shamong Township highlighted in Burlington County. Inset map: Burlington County highlighted in the State of New Jersey.
Shamong Township highlighted in Burlington County. Inset map: Burlington County highlighted in the State of New Jersey.
Census Bureau map of Shamong Township, New Jersey
Census Bureau map of Shamong Township, New Jersey
Shamong Township, New Jersey is located in Burlington County, New Jersey
Shamong Township, New Jersey
Shamong Township, New Jersey
Location in Burlington County, New Jersey
Shamong Township, New Jersey is located in New Jersey
Shamong Township, New Jersey
Shamong Township, New Jersey
Location in New Jersey
Shamong Township, New Jersey is located in the United States
Shamong Township, New Jersey
Shamong Township, New Jersey
Location in the United States
Country  United States
State  New Jersey
County Burlington
Incorporated February 19, 1852
Government
 • Type Township
 • Body Township Committee
Area
 • Total 45.01 sq mi (116.58 km2)
 • Land 44.45 sq mi (115.14 km2)
 • Water 0.56 sq mi (1.44 km2)  1.24%
Area rank 41st of 565 in state
6th of 40 in county
Elevation
56 ft (17 m)
Population
 • Total 6,490
 • Estimate 
(2019)
6,367
 • Rank 329th of 566 in state
26th of 40 in county
 • Density 146.2/sq mi (56.4/km2)
 • Density rank 526th of 566 in state
35th of 40 in county
Time zone UTC−05:00 (Eastern (EST))
 • Summer (DST) UTC−04:00 (Eastern (EDT))
ZIP Code
08088
Area code(s) 609 exchanges: 268, 801, 859
FIPS code 3400566810
GNIS feature ID 0882084

Shamong Township is a township in Burlington County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township's population was 6,490, reflecting an increase of 28 (+0.4%) from the 6,462 counted in the 2000 Census, which had in turn increased by 697 (+12.1%) from the 5,765 counted in the 1990 Census.

Shamong was incorporated as a township by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on February 19, 1852, from portions of Medford Township, Southampton Township and Washington Township. Portions of the township were taken to form Woodland Township (March 7, 1866) and Tabernacle Township (March 22, 1901). In April 1902, portions of Hammonton and Waterford Township were annexed to the township. The township's name comes from Native American terms meaning "place of the big horn", from the words oschummo ("horn") and onk ("place").

New Jersey Monthly magazine ranked Shamong Township as its 6th best place to live in its 2008 rankings of the "Best Places To Live" in New Jersey.

History

This area and much of present-day southern New Jersey was inhabited by Lenape at the time of European encounter. They spoke Unami, one of the three major dialects of Lenape, which was part of the Algonquian language family. The Lenape ranged from the New York metropolitan area and western Long Island, into New Jersey, eastern Pennsylvania along the Delaware River, and Delaware.

By the mid-eighteenth century, English colonists had pushed the local Lenape of southern New Jersey onto what was called the Brotherton Indian Reservation, in the area of present-day Indian Mills, which was named for mills built and operated by the Brotherton people, who were converted Christian Indians. Some were moved in 1765 from Cranbury, New Jersey. With continuing pressure after the American Revolutionary War, the Brotherton Indians of New Jersey migrated to New York, accepting an offer by the Stockbridge Indians, also Christian converts, to settle on their reservation in the central part of the state, where they had been allocated land by the Oneida people, one of the Iroquois nations. Also migrating there were some of the Munsee-speaking Lenape from the northern part of their territory. These were all remnant peoples trying to reorganize after years of disease and conflict with colonists and major powers. The Brotherton Indians sold their last property in New Jersey in 1818 and had essentially been absorbed by the Munsee.

Settlers from New England poured into New York after the Revolutionary War, encroaching on Indian territory. Finally, the Stockbridge and Munsee relocated to Wisconsin in the 1820s and 1830s, pushed out with the Oneida by the United States Indian Removal policy to relocate Native Americans to west of the Mississippi River. Today the Stockbridge-Munsee Community is a federally recognized tribe, with a 22,000-acre (8,900 ha) reservation in Shawano County, Wisconsin.

A 1992 non-binding referendum gave voters the opportunity to consider renaming the township to Indian Mills, the name of an unincorporated community in the township.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the township had a total area of 44.994 square miles (116.534 km2), including 44.392 square miles (114.974 km2) of land and 0.602 square miles (1.560 km2) of water (1.34%).

Unincorporated communities, localities and place names located partially or completely within the township include Atsion and Dellette, Flyat, Hampton Furnace, High Crossing, Indian Mills and Smalls.

The township borders Medford Township, Tabernacle Township and Washington Township in Burlington County; Hammonton in Atlantic County; and Waterford Township in Camden County.

The township is one of 56 South Jersey municipalities that are included within the New Jersey Pinelands National Reserve, a protected natural area of unique ecology covering 1,100,000 acres (450,000 ha), that has been classified as a United States Biosphere Reserve and established by Congress in 1978 as the nation's first National Reserve. All of the township is included in the state-designated Pinelands Area, which includes portions of Burlington County, along with areas in Atlantic, Camden, Cape May, Cumberland, Gloucester and Ocean counties.

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop.
1860 1,008
1870 1,149 14.0%
1880 1,097 −4.5%
1890 958 −12.7%
1900 910 −5.0%
1910 483 −46.9%
1920 414 −14.3%
1930 475 14.7%
1940 505 6.3%
1950 712 41.0%
1960 774 8.7%
1970 1,318 70.3%
1980 4,537 244.2%
1990 5,765 27.1%
2000 6,462 12.1%
2010 6,490 0.4%
2019 (est.) 6,367 −1.9%
Population sources:
1860-2000 1860-1920
1860-1870 1870 1880-1890
1890-1910 1910-1930
1930-1990 2000 2010
* = Lost territory in previous decade.

Census 2010

As of the census of 2010, there were 6,490 people, 2,168 households, and 1,825 families residing in the township. The population density was 146.2 per square mile (56.4/km2). There were 2,227 housing units at an average density of 50.2 per square mile (19.4/km2)*. The racial makeup of the township was 96.86% (6,286) White, 0.92% (60) Black or African American, 0.20% (13) Native American, 0.59% (38) Asian, 0.02% (1) Pacific Islander, 0.26% (17) from other races, and 1.16% (75) from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.30% (149) of the population.

There were 2,168 households out of which 40.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 71.7% were married couples living together, 8.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 15.8% were non-families. 12.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 4.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.99 and the average family size was 3.28.

In the township, the population was spread out with 26.8% under the age of 18, 7.3% from 18 to 24, 21.7% from 25 to 44, 34.3% from 45 to 64, and 9.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41.9 years. For every 100 females there were 97.4 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and old there were 98.3 males.

The Census Bureau's 2006-2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $104,063 (with a margin of error of +/- $7,752) and the median family income was $110,848 (+/- $10,655). Males had a median income of $80,188 (+/- $22,205) versus $53,591 (+/- $14,752) for females. The per capita income for the borough was $38,817 (+/- $3,645). About 2.4% of families and 3.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.6% of those under age 18 and 9.4% of those age 65 or over.

Census 2000

As of the 2000 United States Census there were 6,462 people, 2,132 households, and 1,820 families residing in the township. The population density was 144.2 people per square mile (55.7/km2). There were 2,175 housing units at an average density of 48.5 per square mile (18.7/km2). The racial makeup of the township was 97.25% White, 0.82% African American, 0.11% Native American, 0.67% Asian, 0.31% from other races, and 0.85% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.05% of the population.

There were 2,132 households, out of which 44.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 76.2% were married couples living together, 6.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 14.6% were non-families. 11.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 3.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.03 and the average family size was 3.29.

In the township the population was spread out, with 29.4% under the age of 18, 6.5% from 18 to 24, 28.9% from 25 to 44, 29.2% from 45 to 64, and 6.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 100.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.8 males.

The median income for a household in the township was $77,457, and the median income for a family was $82,534. Males had a median income of $55,664 versus $35,440 for females. The per capita income for the township was $30,934. About 2.3% of families and 2.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.7% of those under age 18 and 2.1% of those age 65 or over.

Transportation

2018-05-23 08 03 04 View south along U.S. Route 206 at Burlington County Route 648 (Willow Grove Road-Old Indian Mills Road) in Shamong Township, Burlington County, New Jersey
US 206 in Shamong Township

As of May 2010, the township had a total of 76.92 miles (123.79 km) of roadways, of which 53.03 miles (85.34 km) were maintained by the municipality, 17.42 miles (28.03 km) by Burlington County and 6.47 miles (10.41 km) by the New Jersey Department of Transportation.

U.S. Route 206 is the most significant highway passing through Shamong Township. County Route 534 and County Route 541 also serve the township.

Education

The Shamong Township School District serves public school students in kindergarten through eighth grade. As of the 2018–19 school year, the district, comprised of two schools, had an enrollment of 746 students and 64.5 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 11.6:1. Schools in the district (with 2018–19 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics) are Indian Mills Elementary School with 394 students in grades PreK-4 and Indian Mills Memorial Middle School with 348 students in grades 5–8.

Public school students in Shamong Township in ninth through twelfth grades attend Seneca High School located in Tabernacle Township, which also serves students from Southampton Township, Tabernacle Township and Woodland Township. The school is part of the Lenape Regional High School District, which also serves students from Evesham Township, Medford Lakes, Medford Township and Mount Laurel Township. As of the 2018–19 school year, the high school had an enrollment of 1,137 students and 109.5 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 10.4:1.

Students from Shamong Township, and from all of Burlington County, are eligible to attend the Burlington County Institute of Technology, a countywide public school district that serves the vocational and technical education needs of students at the high school and post-secondary level at its campuses in Medford and Westampton Township.

Notable people

See also (related category): People from Shamong Township, New Jersey

People who were born in, residents of, or otherwise closely associated with Shamong Township include:

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Municipio de Shamong (Nueva Jersey) para niños

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